The roundtable discussion on Islamic fundamentalism involving a liberal speaker from overseas should be stopped, opined Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Othman Mustapha.

Othman said the department was aware that there were parties that wanted to bring in the speaker to the discussion titled 'Religious fundamentalism threat in this century" at the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation conference room, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, on Oct 18.

He said Malaysia holds to the edict of the National Fatwa Council in 1996 that only the practices of the Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (mainstream Sunni) are allowed in the  country.

"As such, any effort to bring in teachings that contravene the Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah and can threaten the faith of Muslims in Malaysia must be stopped," Othman said in a statement yesterday.

He was referring to the roundtable organised by the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), which will include a talk by Indonesian liberal Islamic speaker Ulil Abshar Abdalla ( above ).

Besides Ulil Abshar, other panellists include Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) professor Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi and Ahmad Farouk Musa from IRF.

It can cause 'unease'

Othman said Jakim wants the roundtable to discuss religious liberalism to be be stopped as the personalities involved allegedly did not have the authority to do so and this could cause uneasiness among the public.

He said Jakim was also aware the invited speakers were supporters of liberal thinking connected to supporters of the Ahmadiah/Qadiani sects, which have been ruled as non-Islamic in Malaysia and Indonesia.

"The presence of these people in Malaysia will not only jeopardise Islamic jurisprudence (in Malaysia) but is also dangerous and can affect the faith of Muslims in the country," he said.

He added that Jakim had conveyed its position to the Home Ministry and hoped that the event would be stopped.

- Bernama

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